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CARELESSNESS: The Inspector General of the Namibian Police Joseph Shikongo condemns border patrol officers for neglecting their duties, leaving critical national assets unprotected. Photo Nikanor Nangolo
CARELESSNESS: The Inspector General of the Namibian Police Joseph Shikongo condemns border patrol officers for neglecting their duties, leaving critical national assets unprotected. Photo Nikanor Nangolo

Shikongo slams ‘negligent’ border patrol officers

Police officers ‘betraying’ sworn duty
Inspector-General Shikongo warned that officers neglecting their responsibilities would face consequences.
Nikanor Nangolo
Namibian Police chief Joseph Shikongo has slammed border patrol officers for negligence, pointing to recent security lapses that have exposed critical vulnerabilities in the country’s border and infrastructure security.

Speaking at the opening of a leadership development training course for over 50 commanders in Rundu, Shikongo expressed outrage over incidents where officers abandoned their posts, leaving national assets unprotected and vulnerable to criminals.

"It's very disturbing when you hear [of] an officer guarding a building [who] then leaves, and people come in to break in. It's unacceptable," he said.

He also criticised officers for their failure to act when witnessing crimes, calling this negligence a betrayal of their sworn duty. “When you see a crime being committed, you think it’s not your duty to intervene. But it is your duty as a police officer to deal with any criminal activity in your presence. If you see something, it is your duty to attend to it,” he said, warning that officers neglecting their responsibilities would face consequences.

Ill-prepared

Amid growing concerns over cross-border crimes such as smuggling and infrastructure sabotage, Shikongo said the current leadership in the border and infrastructure protection directorate was ill-prepared to address these rising threats.

"The duty of a police officer is not just about being present, it’s about being prepared to act. The leadership at our borders needs to be adaptive, strategic and capable of making decisions in complex and often challenging situations.”

Shikongo announced plans to overhaul leadership at key border posts and introduce strategic training to improve officers' readiness.

"We are planning to acquire more equipment, including observation cameras, boats and vehicles. Our officers should be able to monitor areas, even if posts are 25 kilometres apart. We can’t afford gaps in our border protection," he said.

The police chief further urged officers to adopt a more proactive approach. "We want to see change from here. We want to go out and lay ambushes, ensure observation posts are fully operational," he said, highlighting the importance of thorough briefings before and after shifts to maintain operational readiness.

Crucial step

The five-day training course focuses on crisis management, strategic decision-making and team dynamics, skills vital to improving the performance of officers stationed at critical border points.

"Our nation's sovereignty is at stake. This leadership training is a crucial step towards ensuring those responsible for protecting our borders and infrastructure are equipped with the skills to address immediate and long-term challenges,” Shikongo noted.

The head of the border and infrastructure protection directorate, David Indongo, said it was established on 1 February 1996 with a force of 8 000 members, but now faces a severe manpower shortage.

"The current strength stands at 1 930 members. This huge variance is attributed to mass retirements, deaths, resignations, discharges and other factors," Indongo said.

Despite the shortage, he praised the dedication of the remaining personnel.

"I must testify that our members have had tangible successes over the years due to their hard work, discipline, loyalty, patriotism and dedication.” Indongo also called for more resources, including fleet improvements, personnel and better living conditions at border posts.

"This will motivate our officers - especially those who have served for long periods - boosting morale.”

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-07

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Premier League: Fulham 2 vs 1 Brentford Katima Mulilo: 22° | 36° Rundu: 20° | 31° Eenhana: 21° | 31° Oshakati: 21° | 31° Ruacana: 20° | 31° Tsumeb: 19° | 26° Otjiwarongo: 18° | 23° Omaruru: 20° | 32° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Gobabis: 19° | 28° Henties Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 19km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 12:28, High tide: 06:39, Low Tide: 00:56, High tide: 18:52 Swakopmund: 15° | 18° Wind speed: 19km/h, Wind direction: W, Low tide: 12:26, High tide: 06:37, Low Tide: 00:54, High tide: 18:50 Walvis Bay: 15° | 24° Wind speed: 23km/h, Wind direction: W, Low tide: 12:26, High tide: 06:36, Low Tide: 00:54, High tide: 18:49 Rehoboth: 20° | 30° Mariental: 22° | 35° Keetmanshoop: 24° | 36° Aranos: 20° | 34° Lüderitz: 14° | 24° Ariamsvlei: 22° | 36° Oranjemund: 15° | 24° Luanda: 25° | 27° Gaborone: 19° | 27° Lubumbashi: 17° | 33° Mbabane: 13° | 24° Maseru: 12° | 25° Antananarivo: 14° | 30° Lilongwe: 22° | 29° Maputo: 19° | 26° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Cape Town: 17° | 22° Durban: 16° | 23° Johannesburg: 15° | 26° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 31° Lusaka: 20° | 31° Harare: 17° | 30° Currency: GBP to NAD 22.48 | EUR to NAD 18.74 | CNY to NAD 2.43 | USD to NAD 17.4 | DZD to NAD 0.13 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.25 | EGP to NAD 0.34 | KES to NAD 0.13 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.64 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.05 | RUB to NAD 0.18 | INR to NAD 0.21 | USD to DZD 132.95 | USD to AOA 909.05 | USD to BWP 13.4 | USD to EGP 49.22 | USD to KES 129.2 | USD to NGN 1668.91 | USD to ZAR 17.41 | USD to ZMW 26.9 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index Same 0 | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1858.03 Down -1.09% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 14296.93 Down -0.02% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 31045.26 Up +0.82% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI 9878.53 Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 673.43/OZ UP +0.35% | Copper US$ 4.35/lb UP +2.95% | Zinc US$ 3 082.50/T UP 3.44% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 74.91/BBP DOWN -0.0079 | Platinum US$ 979.52/OZ DOWN -0.0048 Sport results: Premier League: Fulham 2 vs 1 Brentford Weather: Katima Mulilo: 22° | 36° Rundu: 20° | 31° Eenhana: 21° | 31° Oshakati: 21° | 31° Ruacana: 20° | 31° Tsumeb: 19° | 26° Otjiwarongo: 18° | 23° Omaruru: 20° | 32° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Gobabis: 19° | 28° Henties Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 19km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 12:28, High tide: 06:39, Low Tide: 00:56, High tide: 18:52 Swakopmund: 15° | 18° Wind speed: 19km/h, Wind direction: W, Low tide: 12:26, High tide: 06:37, Low Tide: 00:54, High tide: 18:50 Walvis Bay: 15° | 24° Wind speed: 23km/h, Wind direction: W, Low tide: 12:26, High tide: 06:36, Low Tide: 00:54, High tide: 18:49 Rehoboth: 20° | 30° Mariental: 22° | 35° Keetmanshoop: 24° | 36° Aranos: 20° | 34° Lüderitz: 14° | 24° Ariamsvlei: 22° | 36° Oranjemund: 15° | 24° Luanda: 25° | 27° Gaborone: 19° | 27° Lubumbashi: 17° | 33° Mbabane: 13° | 24° Maseru: 12° | 25° Antananarivo: 14° | 30° Lilongwe: 22° | 29° Maputo: 19° | 26° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Cape Town: 17° | 22° Durban: 16° | 23° Johannesburg: 15° | 26° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 31° Lusaka: 20° | 31° Harare: 17° | 30° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 22.48 | EUR to NAD 18.74 | CNY to NAD 2.43 | USD to NAD 17.4 | DZD to NAD 0.13 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.25 | EGP to NAD 0.34 | KES to NAD 0.13 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.64 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.05 | RUB to NAD 0.18 | INR to NAD 0.21 | USD to DZD 132.95 | USD to AOA 909.05 | USD to BWP 13.4 | USD to EGP 49.22 | USD to KES 129.2 | USD to NGN 1668.91 | USD to ZAR 17.41 | USD to ZMW 26.9 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index Same 0 | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1858.03 Down -1.09% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 14296.93 Down -0.02% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 31045.26 Up +0.82% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI 9878.53 Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 673.43/OZ UP +0.35% | Copper US$ 4.35/lb UP +2.95% | Zinc US$ 3 082.50/T UP 3.44% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 74.91/BBP DOWN -0.0079 | Platinum US$ 979.52/OZ DOWN -0.0048